The invention relates to determining time of delivery of mailpieces. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for determining an amount of time required to complete a mail processing job.
Typical mailpiece sorting equipment incorporates a feeding mechanism for feeding mailpieces, a separating mechanism for separating the mailpieces from each other, a reading means for reading the information on the mailpieces, a mailpiece transport mechanism for transporting the mailpieces to compartments or bins, compartments or bins for receiving the mailpieces, and software for making choices regarding placement of the mailpieces into the compartments and a control device.
The operation of automated sorting equipment typically entails an operator placing an armload of mail that has been edge aligned onto the feeder portion of the system. The mailpieces are fed into the sorting system and sorted into bins or compartments. Often, when one or more bins become full, the sorting system stops, and the bins are emptied into a mail tray. From the mail tray, the mailpieces are sorted again, in which case the sorting apparatus is restarted and sorting continues.
Typically, mailpieces are sorted multiple times because there are fewer bins in a sorting system than delivery points (for example addresses). So, in a first sort (rough sort) each bin may represent all the mailpieces addressed to a particular neighborhood. In a second sort (fine sort), each bin may represent all of the mailpieces addressed to each street from one neighborhood. In a third sort, each bin may represent all of the mailpieces addressed to each street from another neighborhood. Delivery points will almost invariably outnumber the number of bins in the sorting apparatus, which forces at least a second pass (or sort). For example, a neighborhood having 50 addresses, 5 streets and 10 addresses per street, and a sorting system with 10 bins, cannot possibly sort mailpieces for each address in a single sort. To compensate for this, the sorting apparatus is programmed to have a first sort based upon the street where the addresses of the mailpieces are directed. Thus, bin 1 can collect mailpieces destined for the first street of the neighborhood. Bin 2 can collect mailpieces destined for the second street, while bins 3, 4, and 5 can collect mailpieces for streets 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Once the mailpieces have been sorted by street, the mailpieces from each bin (street) can be sorted a second time by address, where each bin now represents a particular address. This process is referred to as a xe2x80x9cjobxe2x80x9d and each xe2x80x9cjobxe2x80x9d and has its own sort scheme (e.g. several passes), as described above. Often a job has a specific time requirement where the mailpieces need to be sorted in time for pickup by a mail delivery truck. In these situations a job may be 30% through its first pass and the delivery truck will be showing up at any minute. If it is going to take 40 minutes to finish the first pass, then the delivery truck will have to wait or leave without any mailpieces, since the fine sorts have not been started. What is needed is a method and a system for estimating the amount of time required to complete a mail processing job so that sort schedules (jobs) can adjusted to meet schedules.
Deficiencies in the prior art are overcome, and an advance in the art is achieved with a system for estimating a time to sort mailpieces for a job. The system has a control module for receiving and maintaining real time data of a quantity of mailpieces and a time to sort the quantity of mailpieces during a first sort. It also has a progress module for estimating a time to complete one or more second sorts of the mailpieces, based upon the quantity of mailpieces and the time to sort the quantity of mailpieces during the first sort.
Operationally, the system measures a quantity of mailpieces and a time to sort the quantity of mailpieces during a first sort. It determines a time to complete one or more second sorts of the mailpieces, based upon the quantity and the time to sort the quantity of mailpieces during the first sort. Depending upon the estimated time of completion of the one or more sorts, the progress module advises an operator on whether to change the job schedule.